1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for a flexible elongate member, a method for a flexible elongate member, and a storage medium, which are used to assist an operation of, for example, inserting a flexible elongate member into a tube.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an operation method of inserting a flexible elongate member, such as a guidewire or a catheter, into a tube of a human body, such as a blood vessel, while observing a fluoroscopic image or the like has been used, for example, to treat angiostenosis. This operation method is generally carried out while an operator observes an image of the tube or the flexible elongate member to check the state of the tube or the flexible elongate member and, at the same time, directly senses a force related to insertion resistance, which is generated when the flexible elongate member comes into contact with the tube, with their hand.
In a manufacturing site, an operation of assembling a flexible elongate member like an optical fiber, or inserting a flexible elongate member like a wire or a hose into a pipe, is performed. A worker performs such an operation while directly sensing a force with their hand to prevent damage to the optical fiber or the pipe.
In any of the above-described operations, the force related to the insertion resistance applied to the flexible elongate member can only be recognized by the operator or worker, and cannot be quantified into numerical values or the like. Also, it is difficult to appropriately insert the flexible elongate member up to a desired position due to the insertion resistance applied to the flexible elongate member.
To solve the above-described problems, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-285150 proposes a method for inserting the flexible elongate member by using a coil insertion apparatus while measuring, from the outside of the human body, the insertion resistance force applied to the flexible elongate member. The insertion resistance is measured by measuring the degree of bending of the flexible elongate member. With this method, the insertion resistance force applied to the flexible elongate member can be measured quantitatively, and the flexible elongate member can be inserted by using the insertion apparatus.
With the method according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-285150, no sensor is directly provided on the insertion apparatus or the flexible elongate member, and the force related to the insertion resistance applied to the flexible elongate member can be measured from the outside of the human body. However, this method is not convenient because the degree of bending of the flexible elongate member is detected by an optical sensor and the manner in which the flexible elongate member is bent varies depending on the rigidity of the flexible elongate member. In particular, when the flexible elongate member is made of a plurality of materials, the relationship between the degree of bending and the force needs to be determined experimentally. In addition, the detection accuracy of the method according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-285150, in which the force is estimated by measuring a current of a motor that drives a roller, is lower than that of a measurement method in which a known strain gauge or the like is used.